Ukraine’s ex-military chief Zaluzhnyi opposes drafting young adults despite shortage of soldiers
Former Commander-in-Chief emphasized the need to preserve the 18-25 age group for Ukraine's future, while acknowledging their potential necessity if the state's existence is threatened.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and current Ambassador to the United Kingdom, has expressed opposition to mobilizing young adults aged 18-25 for military service, Bukvy reports.
The discussion comes amid a shortage of Ukrainian soldiers to oppose the Russian aggression and discontent of people with the military recruitment offices, which were accused numerous times for “grabbing” men on the streets. Now the conscription age is 25 years old.
During a meeting with Ukrainian students in London on 3 October, Zaluzhnyi argued that the age group between 18 and 25 represents Ukraine’s future and should only be called upon as a last resort.
“We need to protect the 18-25 age category as much as possible,” Zaluzhnyi stated, according to Bukvy.
He explained that during his tenure as Commander-in-Chief, he consistently opposed lowering the mobilization age below 25, emphasizing the importance of preserving Ukraine’s future generations.
Zaluzhnyi contrasted the mentality of younger Ukrainians with that of older military personnel, suggesting that those over 50 often carry a post-Soviet mindset that can be challenging to work with.
He noted that older soldiers sometimes expect others to take on difficult tasks, whereas younger individuals might approach such challenges differently.
Despite his reservations, Zaluzhnyi acknowledged that mobilizing young adults could become necessary if Ukraine’s existence as a state were threatened.
“If the country reaches such a barrier when there is a threat to the existence of the state as such, only young people aged 18-25 can save it,” he said, as reported by Bukvy.
In April, President Zelenskyy signed a law reducing the maximum age for military conscription from 27 to 25 years to boost the army ranks. He said that lowering the conscription age is necessary because young people have better physical preparation and are quicker to navigate technologies widely used in combat operations.
A member of parliament Roman Kostenko has suggested that “radical” steps, including further lowering the conscription age, may be needed to address recent declines in mobilization levels.
However, Defense Ministry spokesperson Dmytro Lazutkin, have stated that lowering the mobilization age is currently unnecessary due to increased recruitment rates.
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